Disposable protective gowns are commonly used in hospitals, clinics and other diagnostic facilities. For example, protective gowns are often worn by patients to protect against contamination, infection, and disease and further to offer a means of privacy. The current protective gowns generally include a multiplicity of interconnected panels with numerous seams and require extensive cutting and fitting for their assembly. As a result of their complex designs, production costs of these protective gowns are substantial as compared to the production costs of less complex designs.
In addition, many of the present protective gowns inadequately cover and protect the shoulder area and further tend to bunch under the armpits or ride up and twist on the arms of the user. Moreover, many of the known protective gowns inadequately cover larger or heavier patients, especially in the leg area, or preclude leg movement beneath the gown without undue exposure of the user's body.
A variety of these known protective gowns are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,464,063; 3,911,499; 4,608,719; 4,631,756; 4,829,602; and 4,951,318. Other prior patents which are of interest include U.S. Pat. Nos. 287,546; 699,238; 2,173,344; 2,282,547; 2,430,745; 2,554,380; 2,686,913; 2,918,677; 3,452,363; 3,719,955; 4,475,250; 4,493,116; 4,523,336; 4,532,655; 4,561,126; 4,587,671; Des. 115,086; Des. 232,134; and Des. 233,275.
Therefore, while the prior art protective gowns disclosed in these patents may, is some instances, prevent contamination, infection, and disease, they are complicated to assemble, expensive to use, and often inadequate for prolonged use, especially by heavier patients.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide new and improved disposable protective gowns which overcome the above-described problems. Here, an object is to provide a protective gown which has both a low cost design and simple assembly requirements. In particular, an object is to provide a protective gown which includes sleeves that are more securely attached to the body portion of the gown and with fewer seams. Moreover, another object is to provide a protective gown which provides greater coverage and protection in the shoulder area of the user and which accommodates heavier patients.